Argentina authorizes patient associations to grow medical cannabis

The Argentine Ministry of Health published this Tuesday a new resolution that updates the rules for the production of medical cannabis in the country. Two years after legalization, and after much persistence on the part of patient organizations, the resolution legitimizes the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes by associations, to supply cannabis derivatives to their members. Home self-cultivation by patients has been allowed in Argentina since 2020.

Organizations will be able to grow 15 square meters in different outdoor areas and up to 6 square meters in indoor crops, per patient, as long as they are duly authorized. Within these area limits, there can be up to nine flowering plants for each patient.

The Argentine government has thus taken an important step in legislation regarding medical cannabis by allowing the cultivation of cannabis by patient associations. After two years of meetings, requests, consultations and proposals, the national Ministry of Health announced that cannabis organizations will be able to grow – now legally – cannabis plants for medicinal purposes for their members.

According to resolution published by the Ministry of Health of Argentina, due to the time that has elapsed since the beginning of the aforementioned registry (REPROCANN), an evaluation of its functioning was carried out for the purpose of improvement. In this evaluation process, the entities that make up the National Program for the Study and Research of the Medicinal Use of the Cannabis Plant, its Derivatives and Non-Conventional Treatments, as well as members of the Program's Honorary Advisory Board, especially non-governmental organizations representing civil society.

Medical cannabis wasregulated in 2020 in Argentine. However, despite the fact that domestic cultivation by patients is allowed, Non-Governmental Organizations also claimed the need to include them in the cannabis production project for patients who are members of the associations. In 2020, after legalization for medicinal purposes, the “Registry of the Cannabis Program (Reprocann) was created, from which the possibility of access, through controlled cultivation, to the cannabis plant and its derivatives, with due diligence, was established. medical indication and prescription. Reprocann's operating bases required registration by patients, but non-governmental organizations were prevented from registering as entities that grew medical cannabis for their members.

Memberships limited to 150 members, but may increase
The ministry, led by Carla Vizzotti, accepted the request of the Advisory Board of Reprocann (made up of doctors, activists, scientists and national authorities) and authorized the cultivation of associations for a maximum of 150 patients, modifying the legislation in order to simplify the steps to better guarantee access to treatments for cannabis users for medicinal, therapeutic and palliative purposes, as well as regarding the constitution of civil organizations as authorized third parties to cultivate for the supply of a registered patient.

The rules imposed on patients are simple: consumers who are members of NGOs have to, cumulatively, register with Reprocann, linking their profile to the doctor who prescribes them, as well as the corresponding organization, in the role of production for third parties. In short, the rules for organizations present some novelties in relation to the transport of plants. However, they mirror those established for private users, the same area allowed for cultivation, the same number of plants and the same authorization to transport flowers or oil within Argentine territory: between one and six bottles of 30 milliliters or up to 40 grams of flowers. droughts.

One of the internal discussions that took place in the Advisory Board about these changes was precisely the patient limit for each institution. The value defined as a limit was 150 members per association, but there is a window for groups that exceed this number (some already do) to request an administrative authorization in a particular way before the National Program for the Study and Investigation of the Medicinal Use of Cannabis plant from the Argentine Ministry of Health.

Cannareporter asked for a reaction to this news from the only association of patients in Portugal, the OPCM - Portuguese Observatory of Medicinal Cannabis, but so far has not received a response.